


Idumea

by kennypenny



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, Branding, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Politics, Royalty, Secrets, Slow Burn, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-13 12:18:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7976581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kennypenny/pseuds/kennypenny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Attempting to flee his arranged marriage and save his uncle from another long war, Ben Organa-Solo fakes his name and his lineage and assimilates into the Naboo military as the isolationist planet is invaded by foreign, unknown invaders that have been knocking on the door for over ten years.</p><p>Inspired by Disney's Mulan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

He ran. He ran as fast as his ten-year-old feet could carry him. He passed the bedroom wing, down the spiral stairs to the front foyer of the house, avoiding any and all hands grabbing for him. His heart was in his throat, knowing just what would come of him if they were caught. Alas, a brilliant smile was on his face, giggling at the excitement of all that was occurring. He caused platter of fine glassware to fly into the air and crash onto the sparkling floor, to splinter into millions of pieces. He tripped the servants chasing him, hearing the cracks of skulls against tile. He knew running like this would not only upset his parents, but the company coming as well, yet he was already too energized to stop at this point.

He opened the door leading to the backyard balcony and gracefully hopped over the edge, the pads of his feet unbothered by the rough-edged stone of the banister. He could hear the yells from his mother now, yelling to come back or punishment would come. He didn’t listen. He just kept going, landing in a small patch of grass before darting out onto the sandy beaches of Varykino.

Reaching the water line was simple, finding the hardened sand and stopping, looking back at the large house on the shore. He smiled again, waving at the very angry figure of his mother. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want to see Kan today!” he said cheerfully, tearing off the silken gown he was forced to put on. The cheer and smiles were just as much a costume as the gown, a practiced mask he had built for a long while.

He never liked seeing Kan. She was a spoiled, evil girl that liked pulling on his hair. She was gross. He wanted nothing more than to yank her hair back, but harder. Maybe even pull her hair out entirely, just to teach her a lesson. For once in her life, Kan would get her hands dirty. Granted, it would be with blood from where the hair had been torn out, but all the same. Dirty hands were dirty hands.

He started running again, this time with a vengeance. By now, there were guards on speeders getting ready to go after him. He needed to hide away and fast. Once he saw the sharp blue rocks poking out of the sand on the far end of the beach, he darted behind them. He yanked one away and crawled inside, closing off the entrance with the same rock and waiting. The opening was large enough to hold three average sized people, damp and smelled of salt. He tucked his knees to his chest, hearing the speeders race by, unaware of this hiding spot. Letting out a loud sigh of relief, he opened the entrance again, now on his stomach, watching them head down the beach, the waves rolling onto the sand with a kindness. He smiled to himself; no Kan today.

His breath was ragged now, having run around his house and down onto the beach in a matter of minutes. It was not an easy task, not with how thin and delicate he was forced to be. He hoped running would fix not only Kan, but the state of his body. If he kept active at any chance he got, maybe then his body would do what he wanted it to and stop being so soft and squishy.

He looked out onto the waves, resting his chin in his hands, counting the bubbles of foam he could see rolling onto the bank. A peaceful silence wrapped around him, the lullaby of the waves like the feeling of a hand on his back, rubbing up and down as he went to sleep for the night. Watching the waves lick at the dusty sands silenced the excited buzzing in the back of his head, removing his anger and annoyance as if a switch had been toggled. His mouth opened to let out a lazy yawn, eyes sliding closed softly.

“Hi, Ben!” a voice called from nowhere, causing them to jump up and yell in shock. A boy now stood in the entrance to the small cave, his mop of curls blocking the run, the small round droid behind him ruining his view of the waves. The boy was slightly older than he was by six years, but it didn’t feel like it, especially in moments like these.

“Poe, you scared me!” he yelled, sitting up on his elbows, glaring at the boy. “I could have died of a heart attack!”

“Sure, sure, yeah,” Poe said, dropping onto his knees and crawling inside the cave beside Ben. The droid beeped in excitement, Ben glaring at it.

“Rude!"

“What? He’s telling the truth, you are cranky. Ain’t that right, buddy?” Poe asked the droid, who only beeped in what could be heard as a sort of laughing tone. With a little bit of moving, Poe and Ben were able to fit the droid inside the cave, now all three of them completely hidden from onlookers. “So, what has decided to piss in your shoes today?”

Ben sat up and leaned against the wall of the cave, crossing his arms. “Kan is coming, didn’t you smell her entering town?” The droid sounded a reply.

“No, you didn’t, BB-8, you don’t have a nose,” Poe said with a laugh, moving closer to Ben and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, fingers gripping his milky undershirt. “Hey, look at it this way; it is only for the afternoon. You don’t have to talk to her or think about her till the next time she comes.”

Ben snorted. “Easy for you to say, you don’t have my mother constantly over your shoulders, reminding me over and over that we are going to-” Ben stopped, placing a finger in his mouth and gagging like a hoarse Gungan. Poe only chuckled, patting Ben’s shoulder.

“Well, she is the lucky one, being able to marry you. I mean, that is years from now, but she better know how damn lucky she is.”

“But I don’t want to marry her!” Ben’s eyes widened in the absolute disgust of the idea. “The Palpatines are disgusting, rude, and horridly power hungry, even after Emperor Tarkin kicked their butts...” Ben stopped, his cheeks pink in anger and frustration. Poe cocked his head to the side.

“Can’t you just… say no to marrying her?” Poe asked.

“You aren’t royalty, Poe, you don’t get it. Kan will make the rules when we get married because her name is more powerful than Organa _-Solo_ , and if that happens...” Ben stopped, his knees returning to his chest again. “...I’ll just be a trophy, just like what Uncle says.”

"You royals and your rules," Poe grumbled, leaning back on the rock wall. BB-8 started rapidly beeping, his noises like a broken radio, buzzing and hopping from tone to tone. Poe smiled. “BB-8 is right, Ben, that is wrong. It is just flat out wrong.” Ben looked at Poe, able to see the wheels turning in his head. Poe shifted into a squatting position, looking at the sand intently.

“How about this; we sneak you out of the house at night and… we find an officer, one good at keeping secrets, and they let you train. And as payment you can, I don’t know, be their assistant, then come home- or don’t come home at all! By then, I’ll be a pilot, a real damn good one, and I’ll get you off Naboo. Forever!”

Ben looked in fascination at Poe’s absolute willingness to help him. He smiled softly at the plan, but the smile faded away. “Thanks for being willing to break the law for me, but it won’t work.”

“Not with that attitude.”

“Not because of my attitude!” Ben snapped. He yanked his hair up from the back of his neck pointing to a mark on his skin in the nape. It was a symbol composed of a crescent moon and a small star, newly born; the Organa house crest tattooed into his skin in stark black ink. Poe’s spirits fell at the sight of it, his puffed chest lowering slowly. “This! This means I am royalty, that I am worth more than normal people. People are greedy, and who knows what people will do if they found out… If I was worth nothing, I could be whatever I wanted to be. But I am always going to be royal because of this…”

Poe bit his lip, thinking deeply again. He let out a sigh of defeat, looking down at the kid. “Look, the best I can do is a pinky promise.”

Ben scoffed, letting his hair go, tossing his curly bangs to the side. “Like that will change anything.”

“I’m serious." Poe held out his right pinky to Ben. “I promise that, no matter what happens, the moment I become a pilot, the best pilot Naboo has ever seen, I am getting you out of this mess.” Poe’s voice was so sure, so confident in this promise. Ben hesitated, looking Poe up and down. He couldn’t see this as anything other than Poe doing everything he could to make sure Ben was happy. Ben licked his lips before slowly raising his hand, linking their pinkies together. Beside them, BB-8 popped out his welding torch, lighting it on the smallest setting and lifting it in the air, Ben chuckling.

“Sure thing, you too,” Ben said, kneeling down and wrapping his free pinky and out the handle for the wielder. “I pinky promise-”

“Cross my heart!” Poe continued.

“And hope to die!” the three of them cried in unison.

**Ten Years Later...**

The close of the third month of the year was celebrated this year, sending the housekeepers and groundsmen to go on a frenzy. The stark contrast in mood in the large house had shifted from lazy lulls like the lake below to a roaring excitement comparable to a Hutt-ordered execution. The air as electric, near shocking in the intensity of elevated mood. The house head ordered for more pomp and circumstance in the wake of what was to some once the new month they were sliding into closed.

Shipments of glittering ornaments and garments kept the servants of the house racing to unpack, decorate, and prepare for the long festivities. This included the arrival of extravagant robes, jewels, tiaras, and accessories meant to decorate the idol of the festivities. In a back room, the sound of delicate strings and melodies filled the house with lively, romantic songs that sparkled as much as the decorations. In a chamber on the uppermost floor of the house, a flock of servants dressed in bright rose and violet silk dresses clamored from the hallway into one of the large bedrooms. One of them broke away from the group, setting up a vanity and clothing rack with numerous layers of robes, tiptoeing to the oval bed in the farthest corner of the bedroom. The handmaiden placed a palm on the resting form under the down covers, no movement coming from the lump.

“My Lord, it is time to rise. Lady Palpatine is visiting today,” she spoke, her voice lilted to a soft coo. Sensing no change from under the blanket, she proceeded to pull it back, only to discover what she had suspected all along. In place of a body, there was a collection of pillows; a cheap trick. The handmaiden stood up straight, her jaw set in annoyance. “The Lord is in the workshop with Lieutenant Skywalker. Could one of you go get him?”

A collective groan erupted through the group of ladies as one padded out of the bedchamber, rushing down the stairs toward a back exit of the main hall. It was a memorized path through the lakeside gardens and outside dining area toward a small dirt path, only able to be seen due to the stop in the carved stone fencing surrounding the property. The woman carefully stepped down the steep path till a small cottage-like home came into view, bending down to avoid hanging braches. The home was made of grey stones with a blue painted roof, vines and ivy growing up and around the edges and corners. A small chimney emitted smoke, the sound of metal striking metal causing the woman to groan again.

She opened the wooden door into the cottage without announcing herself, seeing the Lord hunched over a crafting table. His ungloved hand was gripping a hammer while the other was properly covered, holding out a bending sheet of some kind of steel over the torch of a BB unit. The woman took one more glance around the room to noticed Admiral Skywalker at his dining table, and he was not alone. Across the table sat none other than the Lord’s peasant friend, the annoying one the woman hated enough to purposefully avoid using his name when unneeded.

“My Lord, your mother will not be pleased when she hears of what you’re doing.”

“Perhaps if she hears, she will call off the stupid wedding,” the peasant friend said, as if he had the status to know of anything occurring in a royal house.

“One moment, Jessika,” the Lord ordered, taking the heated metal back and trading the hammer for a more precise welding tool over the droid, sealing the heated piece to another curved strip. It was clearly the handle to a lightsaber mid-construction. Jessika let out a breath between her teeth.

“Lord Obi-Wan, I mean no disrespect, but it is unbecoming of someone of your blood and purpose to be creating such a weapon!”

“It isn’t like I’ll ever finish it. Perhaps if you relaxed, the wrinkles on your forehead would soften,” the royal stated, shrugging. The admiral simply held a steady smile, while the peasant chuckled, earning a growling sneer from Jessika.

“T-that doesn't make it right, my Lord. You are to be wed in a month, and I am under order of her Majesty Organa to ensure you are prepared for this last visit with Lady Palpatine!”

The young royal groaned, setting down the tools at use and carefully stood. He cracked his back by bending backward, the BB unit going off in some language Jessika couldn’t understand. The peasant went into a fit of laughter, while Skywalker chuckled yet again. Jessika gripped her fists. “Admiral Skywalker, please understand you allowing your nephew to do this will anger her Majesty.”

“Leia will be fine, she worries too much,” Skywalker rose from his seat, grabbing the dark cloak hanging from a hook on the wall and tossing it toward Jessika’s hire. “This whole arranged marriage business is ridiculous, and it hurts to see Ben’s talent being forced into a box to be locked away.”

Jessika ground her teeth as her Lord covered himself in the cloak, removing his long hair out of the tight bun it was restrained in. The mass of waves and soft curls fell down to his mid-back, and the lack of a sheen made Jessika’s lip twitch. He had been in the filthy lake again.

“Hey, Ben, give her a nice crack in the nose for me, alright?” the peasant said calmly, causing the Lord to laugh.

“You are to address him as Lord Obi-Wan and nothing else!”

Poe looked over at the handmaiden with a twisted grin. “I will use the name he asked for me to use. Consider it obeying the order of a royal. Right, Ben?”

Ben opened his mouth but shut it when seeing Jessika’s glare. She just crossed her arms, her face sour and hate-filled. Ben let his jaw open a bit, deciding what next to say. “Let’s just get this over with… I’ll see you later, Poe, BB-8… Uncle.” He bowed ever so gently to his family member. Luke returned the gesture with the flick of his wrist, tucking a stray bit of hair behind his ear with that mystical power he had. Ben smiled at the gesture, Jessika seeing slight sadness in the curl of his lips.

“Please do punch her. For me, at least,” Luke joked, Ben laughing heartily.

Stepping out of the cottage gave a perfect view of the long caravan of speeders racing toward the large house on the bank of the river. Jessika gasped. “Come, my Lord, we need to rush in there to get you properly dressed!”

Insignias of nightspiders with legs extended were on the back of the cloaks worn by the riders. The arrival of the caravan was met with bows, deep and low, the heads nearing touching the ground by groundskeepers working on the hedging leading to the house. Jessika used a servant’s entrance to gain quicker access to the Lord’s bedchamber, shoving him into a bathing tub set up in a covered corner.

“He smells like metal, sweat, and lake water, so we need to act fast. Lady Palpatine is coming over the bridge now.” The handmaidens went into a tissy, Ben groaning as he heard the door open just as water was dumped onto his head.

“Obi-Wan, this behavior of yours is unacceptable! The time wasted on finding you should have been used better!” an older woman ranted, dressed in functional blue robes decorated in golden accents. The handmaidens all bowed deeply at her arrival, all murmuring ‘Your Majesty’ before returning to work on the young Lord.

“Mother, it wasn’t like I wasn’t able to be found. I am typically with Uncle anyway,” Ben replied as a handmaiden forced his hands into the air to wash his underarms.

“I will be having a conversation with him, then.” Leia noted, more to herself as she stepped to the tub and took a washcloth from one of the maidens. She ran the cloth across Ben's cheeks and forehead, wiping away grease stains and drying sweat.

Ben smirked, his forearms falling to rest on top of his head, flicking water at her before it could drip off his fingertips. “You worry too much, mother.”

Leia noted her child’s body as she wiped the water off, scowling. It was not that of a delicate, blooming prince. It was more of a farmhand, toned and sharp with signs of growing muscle. The young man was covered in old tiny scars from roughhousing, uneven skin tones from being in the sun without protection, dark body hair, and coated in moles he refused to have removed. ‘The galaxy is on my skin’, he protested, even though Leia knew it wouldn’t hurt in the slightest. Leia’s thoughts returned to present when her child was removed from the tub to be dried, showing his long legs, held up on clumsy feet that nearly tripped stepping out of the tub.

Leia sighed, dropping the cloth in the tub and walking toward the large bed, sitting in a soft huff, letting the tension release from her shoulders. “I just don’t understand what is going on with you, Obi-Wan.”

“Have you considered the upcoming festivities?”

“Oh, you have made it blatantly clear the excuse. I would like a real reason." Her face was soft around the eyes, but the piercing irises held a weight over the conversation. “You are going to be twenty one next month. You are to be married before then. It is time you started acting like your status deems you instead of a toddler.”

Ben allowed a maiden to drape a heavy robe over his shoulders while another started to comb through his hair. “Was Uncle Luke a toddler, then? When he gave his name up?” he quipped easily.

“I am not having this argument again,” Leia stated sternly, trying her hardest to keep her temper in check. Ben’s own sudden snap was something he inherited from her; she had to place a better example. “It's marriage, not the end of the world. I made the choice to have you betrothed for your safety and protection in the future.”

“So marrying a Palpatine is considered the _safe_ thing?”

“Enough,” Leia stated, her voice elevated enough to make the servants jump, jaw pointed upward to match her imposed authority. Ben only scowled, his chest heaving up and down with words unsaid. “Enough with this foolishness. Be silent and behave. Get dressed. Come down when you are finished. This is non-negotiable.”

Giving no room for debate, Leia removed herself from the bedroom, a servant closing the door behind her. She let out a heavy breath, the stress of the fight showing in the lines of her face. Leia gave herself a moment to recompose before starting down the long stairs to the main foyer, spotting the caravan circling around the manor’s front fountain.

The slender figure riding the front speeder slid to a park in front of the house’s steps, disrupting the orderly pebble walkway being washed and combed. The figure’s helmet came off, revealing cinnamon brown hair hair, pulled back in a tight braided bun, fresh and old in fashion. The helmet was tossed over the person’s shoulder, only to be caught by a nearby servant having to drop their broom to grab it before it hit the ground. Her body suit was form-fitting, the shawl around her shoulder holding a gold nightspider on the back, heeled boots made for riding digging into the rocks as if to purposely leave an impression. The woman took the casual walk up the stairs to the large dark wood doors of the house, her dark blue eyes lighting up at her greeters.

“Kan, a pleasure to have you return,” Leia greeted, bowing her head to the guest. Beside her, a taller man with equally aging features bowed, just slightly deeper than Leia. The stiffness of the older man gave easy evidence to the distaste for the action.

“Please, Majesty Organa, Highness Organa-Solo, no need to bow to me,” Kan stated, raising her gloved hand as a way to usher the couple up from their greeting. “We will be family soon enough, no more need for such formalities.”

“In that case, could you stop calling me Highness Organa-Solo. It’s Han,” the elderly man stated, his face holding a permanent scowl. Lady Organa rolled her eyes in annoyance. Kan smiled her smirking, glittering smile. Her eyes had a glass like feeling, refraining from showing much other emotion than happiness.

“Whatever makes you comfortable, Han.” A beat passed as Kan looked around. “Is he not ready again?”

“I am afraid not. He was busying herself with his uncle,” Lady Organa explained, her shoulders dropping at Kan’s reaction. Her smile had shifted to a quick frown, Leia’s heart clenching. “I can assure you, he was retrieved and will be ready momentarily.”

“I cannot understand his desire to learn combat. It is unneeded." Kan said exasperatedly, stepping into the foyer. She heels tracked light dirt marks onto the floor, Leia snapping for someone to come and clean it once they left the room. Kan turned on her toes to face her hosts quickly. "No disrespect to Lord Skywalker, of course.”

“Admiral, damn it,” Han muttered under his breath, earning a jab in the side from the queen. “Ouch, Leia!”

Kan bowed her head in an apology. “Forgive me, I continue forgetting his proper title.”

“Yeah, don’t forget it,” Han snapped again.

“Mother?”

Kan’s attention turned from the small spat in front of her to inside the glorious house, eyes aimed upward to the top of the shimmering staircase. Glittering stones of silver and white reflected the mid-noon light, shimmering the foyer in lights like the brightest stars. Kan’s attention was on the source of the voice, standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in regal golden robes, a white intricately woven belt tied around his waist to billow the top of the robe. His long ebony hair was tied into one large ponytail made up of waves and curls, decorated in gold rings and jewels. His face was painted in traditional Nabooian royal paint; the Scar of Remembrance. His eyes read like a long forgotten language, a cipher unable to be broken by Kan, who so wished she could.

“Obi-Wan, my darling,” Kan called, leaving her conversation with the older couple to quickly run up the stairs. Her hand took hold of the glittering being before her, holding it as if it was the most precious thing she would ever touch. Kan gave herself a few moments to ponder what her love’s face looked like under the makeup. Kan had seen the paint for the past two decades on her life on this face every month and each time she marveled. She recalled her first time seeing the paint; on the faces of Han and Leia from their wedding day. It was only a photo, yet she was blown away by the grace of it all. She knew at that moment, whoever her betrothed was would carry on the tradition with her. Her bewilderment was broken as her other hand traveled to circle the fingers hanging loosely by her darling’s side. She looked the hand over, noticing signs of calluses on the palms and fingers. A frown graced her features. “My darling, I wish you wouldn’t spar with your uncle, it is ruining your smooth skin. And… Are you sunburned? You’ll harm yourself staying out like that.”

Ben’s face remained still, emotionless. “Am I only skin to you?”

“Obi-Wan, please, not now,” Leia hashed out.

“No, no, it is alright.” Kan gripped Ben’s hands tighter, worried he would slip away. “It isn’t right for royalty to learn to fight. Besides, you will be mine soon. I have guards and servants a-plenty to keep you safe, more than you have here.”

“They are incompetent,” Ben said blankly, blinking only once before tearing his hands from Kan. He took the steps forward, further down the stairs. “Surely the Palpatines understand what occurs when those with no combat training try to fight those that are properly trained.”

“That is enough!” Leia called in a commanding voice, Han beside her chuckling and winking as his stone-faced child. The child simply winked back, walking as calmly as he arrived toward the front door. “I will not allow you to insult-”

“Please, Leia, don’t scold him,” Kan protested with the look of a kicked puppy, making her way down the stairs to follow Ben. “My family’s history is dark and only sixty years past, but I can assure you, we are no long the vengeful name we once were,” Kan expressed. Her hand ran down Ben’s back, who only curved it to avoid her touch.

“I am going to the garden,” Ben announced in an absolute tone.

“No, you are not! Kan is here just for you. You will not go to that blasted garden.” Leia walked with a stomp in her step toward her son, who only picked up his own pace to not be grabbed and stopped.

Ben went on without a word, avoiding his mother’s hand by sliding up onto the windowsill of a large archway overlooking the front entrance. “Obi-Wan, get down from there, you’ll damage your robe, or hurt yourself!”

“Please, my darling,” Kan begged. Ben didn’t bother looking at her.

“I’m sorry, mother,” Ben said, smiling lightly. It was a look of innocence Kan was sure to preserve in her memory. “But I am not in the mood to play the perfect prince right now.”

A collective gasp went through all surveying the tense moment as Ben took a step back off of the windowsill, falling down the two stories separating the foyer to the ground below. Leia and Kan rushed to the window, looking out to find no one where the prince should have landed. The sound of a revving engine had even Han walking to the window to peer out, spotting Ben riding on the back off a red speeder, one arm around the back of the driver while the other locked pinkies with the welding torch of a BB unit riding in the custom sidecar. Kan only got to see the driver’s smiling face for a few moments before the speeder raced away, the skirts of Obi-Wan’s robe dancing in the wind. In a fluid motion, Ben tugged at the tie holding his hair up and let it go, the ribbon landing next to Kan’s parked speeder.

“Was that-”

“That was him. No way you’ll get him now, Poe Dameron is a master at evasion. By the time you and your crew saddle up, they will be halfway to Poe’s home in Theed.” Han teased, Kan watching her love vanish as he crossed the bridge leading to the main road. She knew of Poe, but hadn’t seen him in years until this point.

Her shoulders slumped. “I do not understand what I did.”

“Oh, Kan… Give him time. He’ll come around.” Leia sympathized, placing a withering hand on his shoulder. “He has his uncle’s spirit and grandfather’s talents. I had hoped he would take after his namesake, but that never seemed to be the case.”

Kan’s eyes closed, the corners of her mouth turning into a gentle smile. “All that aside… He looks wonderful in the wind, doesn’t he?”


	2. The Discipline

It was not uncommon for Ben to question the Palpatine House and their true dedication to their engagements. During his time with tutors, he was told of the Naboo Civil War that had occurred sixty years earlier, but all his teachers intentionally glossed over that event in history. Ben had learned why on his own.

The Palpatine’s past Head of House, Sheev Palpatine, started a revolt in the capital city of Theed. Most of his army were his own servants and mercenaries hired from off-planet in attempt to overthrow the then newly-appointed Emperor Tarkin. They were a miserable army, more like a pimple on the face of the planet than a threat. It was when a figure, cloaked in shining black nearly succeeded in assassinating Tarkin did the government start to take the royal family and its growing military seriously.

Back then, the Organas were a simple farming family, highly admired by the ruler of lake territory of Naboo. The rulers of the lake territory were one of the oldest families of the planet; the Amidalas. They tried to find diplomacy in the civil war, but the marriage of Padme Amidala to a slave boy raised by the family’s main security operative, Obi-Wan Kenobi, forced the Palpatines to deem the Amidalas as impure. Alas, Sheev Palpatine was clever, tricking the new addition, Anakin Skywalker, to play as his man on the inside under the guise of keeping the Amidalas safe in secret, despite scorning them in public.

When Padme became pregnant, there seemed no other option but to comply for Ben’s grandfather, who took on the name of Darth Vader to hide himself in plain sight. Holotapes showed him behind Palpatine in speeches and organizing attacks, completely covered and unable to tell it was truly him. One tape featured Darth Vader executing a royal soldier to send a message to the Emperor. When Obi-Wan had discovered Anakin’s true part in the war, he became outraged. Unable to let a threat to his Lady go untouched, Obi-Wan told Padme, and in her own sudden sadness, went into labor after confronting Anakin. What happened afterward wasn’t in the family records, or any records at all, but what Ben hypothesized was that after the birth to twins, Padme Amidala had died without Anakin knowing. He had left to be at Palpatine’s side, still believing he was protecting his family. Confronted by Obi-Wan Kenobi revealed the true state of things, and now realizing he had nothing to lose, Anakin Skywalker went into hiding, never to be seen again. With no one to organize his military with such finesse and efficiency, Sheev Palpatine surrendered and ended the Naboo Civil War. It was unknown what actually happened to Anakin Skywalker.

Obi-Wan had taken the twins to the Emperor, pleading to reinstate a family to take care of them. According to tradition, no one in the military could become royalty as a way to balance the planet’s power dynamic, so Obi-Wan himself couldn’t do it. But the Organas, the loyal farm couple, were accepting of the task. They were then pronounced royalty by Emperor Tarkin, and raised the twins together. The twins were Leia and Luke.

One would grow up to be a fitting member of Emperor Tarkin’s royal arms stretching over his planet, a surrogate for his laws and rules just like the other royal families. The other would denounce the Organa name entirely, leaving behind all inheritance and birth-given glory, taking on the name Skywalker to join the military. Luke Skywalker had become Admiral of the Naboo military while Leia Organa remained a royal diplomat, ruling over the lake territory just like the mother she never met.

Obi-Wan Kenobi died years later during a visit to Theed with Luke. Only Ben’s uncle, father, and mother know how his death occurred, and it was not to be discussed. Ben had received smacks on the back of the head from his mother for asking. A small voice in the back of his skull told him to search for his grandfather for the answers, leading him to the Amidala family records in the family’s extensive library. Soon after Naboo resorted to isolationism, cutting off from the rest of the galaxy, the voice disappeared. Even after doing what he heard, and learning all of this history, Ben still had several questions unanswered.

The sound of a running water billowed through the sanistream, the slight echo-chamber of the refresher ringing through the small home, calling Ben out of his own thought process. The pattering of water droplets dripping from soaking hair couldn’t properly represent the storm of thoughts running through the washer’s mind. White and red stains slip down his skin, pooling in the stream’s base before vanishing down the drain as if it was never there in the first place. Ben took a moment to wipe away the steam on the glass and looked at his face for a few moments to ensure all the paint was gone.

It was so hard to believe this was the face of a royal son. A large, pointed nose, extended jaw, pouting lips, and ears enough to fly. It didn’t feel like he was a descendant of Padme Amidala, who was once credited for her beauty and grace. Of course, perhaps if he was truly an Amidala, he wouldn’t be thinking this way. He was just a lower Organa.

Obi-Wan Organa-Solo. A disgusting name.

Ben looked away from the glass and turned his back to the stream of boiling water, cloaking his long hair. He pulled his locks to the side and let the water massage his back, a light groan escaping his lips. A tight tension had been building there since that morning, worrying over when he would get caught escaping yet another rendezvous with his ‘betrothed.’ It was exceedingly more difficult to hide away, now that all his hiding places were either discovered or he grew too tall for. He found himself giving up and wandering to his Uncle’s secluded cottage instead. At least there he felt remotely normal.

Ben turned off the stream when he felt he had swallowed enough self-pity, swinging his hair to the side to ring it out a bit more. He stepped out onto a floormat, grabbed a towel and began the rigorous activity of drying himself off. He flipped his dripping locks forward, bending over to lightly squeeze the towel around the mass of loose curls to drain the water.

The sound of air decompressing from the door didn’t cause a reaction from Ben, not caring that he wasn’t covered by any means.

“You should wear that more often,” Poe teased, leaning against the now open sliding door. Ben rolled his eyes, looking at the shorter man through his hanging locks.

“Shut up,” he replied, leaning back to his full height when he felt his hair was as dry as it could get with a towel. “Don’t you have a speeder to hide?”

“It’s in the garage, no worries. You take forever in the stream,” Poe commented, walking past Ben to the toilet. “Not like it matters, they know I am the one that was driving. At least, I hope.”

“You hope,” Ben sarcastically noted, a lilt of laughter in his voice.

Poe smiled, unzipping his pants and pulling them down to his hips before beginning to relieve himself. Ben was unfazed; it was not the first time he had seen his friend’s equipment. “Well, yeah. Only been home a week and I am already saving your ass.” Ben shook his head, wrapping the towel around his waist. “Speaking of that, who was the lady in that dress at Luke’s?”

“Jessika Para. She is my chosen handmaiden. I personally requested her.” Poe raised an eyebrow, putting himself away before flushing the toilet. Ben caught his drift. “Okay, she was the least unbearable out of my mother’s servants. All of them are so spineless, so scared of me turning them over to her if they do one thing I don’t like. Jessika is- Well, you saw her, she is take charge and isn’t afraid of my title.”

Poe hummed in agreement, stepping out of the refresher to the kitchen area. BB-8 sat beside the kitchen’s bar counter on a charging station, storing his data as he usually did when at home. Poe patted his head, earning an endearing beep. “She finds me insufferable, did you notice?”

Ben let out a chuckle, giving himself one more look in the mirror to ensure his face was clean of any make-up before walking toward the bar. “I am well aware. Most of the house does. Mother let out a sigh of relief when she heard you went off to training.”

Poe reached toward a bowl beside the caf maker for a fruit, bringing it to his lips and biting in. “I thought your mom liked me,” Poe commented, his left cheek full of the fruit.

“She likes the idea of you. Strong military pilot of common statue. You remind her of my dad.” Ben sat on a bar stool, leaning over the counter and grabbing for his own fruit. “But, you are not my betrothed, so she considers you a threat.”

“Me, a threat? I may look big, but I would say sorry even if I hit someone I hate. That includes your betrothed, by the way,” Poe stated firmly, BB-8 beeping in agreement. “Can’t believe the type of things she says to you! Worried for your well being my ass, she just wants an easy prize out of you.”

“And she isn’t going to get one. She can rot for all I care,” Ben agreed, taking his first bite of the fruit. His eyes went wide, a hand ducking under his chin to catch dripping juices. Poe laughed lightly, handing him a cleaning rag. Ben accepted it, mimicking his laughter as he wiped his chin clean. “So much for that shower, right?”

Poe laughed. “Right.”

A peaceful silence drifted as they ate their selection of fruit, Ben leaning his head in his hand and running his fingers in his damp hair when he finished. He pushed it back and out of his face shaking it out lightly, letting out a short sigh.

“Tell me about training,” Ben stated firmly, causing Poe to lift an eyebrow.

“Again? I told you at Luke’s,” Poe questioned, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. Ben nodded.

“I know, but I love hearing it. A bunch of people coming together to learn how to protect their planet and it’s viable citizens, all the while becoming in tune with one another and turning into this home away from home,” Ben explained, the corner of his mouth twisting up.

Poe cocked an eyebrow. “You make it sound so romantic.”

“Tell me more about your lieutenant. The woman who trained you.”

Poe laughed heartily. “Lieutenant Phasma wasn’t the woman who trained me, she was a rank ahead of me. When I came in a private, she was a Squad Leader. And she was confident. She wore her title for all it was worth, but she deserved it. It proved in how she trained privates in her own personal regimen.” Poe stopped, leaning further on the counter. “Let me tell you, she would disarm the General with her eyes closed and her left leg broken if it meant she would get a larger squad or a battalion of her own. And by the end of my training as a private, she was promoted to Lieutenant by… I am forgetting his first name, it is a long one, but the General’s son himself appointed her to his side when he got his Captain position.”

Ben smiled a curious smile. “She sounds dangerous.”

“Nah, she is actually very caring. There was a time that she came up to me during heavy arms training to check if I was holding up. She knows what you are good at and knows who to encourage and who to push. When it came to flying, I got less check-up and more the traditional commanding tone you would expect. It’s motivating.”

“Did you ever meet him? The General’s son? We get visits from the General sometimes, he is a very firm, dominating man. I bowed the lowest I could when he came.”

Poe’s jaw dropped. “You have met General Brendol Hux?” Ben nodded quickly, eyes wide in confusion.

“He came to see Uncle and my dad about attending a defense meeting about a year ago. He was respectable, very accommodating. He and Uncle had this… understanding Uncle refused to talk about. I wanted to ask him questions about the military and how it works, if he knew how you were doing in training, but my mother made it perfectly clear I was to be quiet.”

Poe’s face lighting up into a humored smile, his shoulders slumping at what he had just heard. “You have got to be kidding… Not even Phasma has met hi-”

Poe cut himself short when a harsh knock rang at the door in a pattern Ben had never heard before. Ben looked at the door a moment before returning his gaze to Poe. He had never seen such an intense, deadly look on the man’s face. The level of seriousness, of intense worry, was something Ben had never seen. In that moment, he truly looked his occupation. Poe looked like a military man.

“You have to hide,” Poe said in a hushed tone, walking around the counter and grabbing Ben’s arm.

“W-what, why?” Ben asked, stumbling along till he was shoved into the refresher. Poe grabbed his pilot’s jacket off the back of the couch, tugging it on.

“Just stay hidden and… and listen in,” Poe commented, turning to the door, letting out a heavy breath before stepping toward it.

Air decompression signaled the front door’s opening. Ben was able to watch through the mirror on the wall what was going on. Poe saluted the man in a black uniform at the door, exactly like the one Poe wore when he left for training all those years ago. The man was slightly taller than Poe, but by no means had his build. The softness of his posture spoke of a man that grew more caring during his time in military. He seemed the respectable type, and very textbook. Black hair, slicked back, uniform in perfect order. And armed, by the look of the blaster on his hip.

“At ease, Squad Leader,” the stranger said, copying the salute.

“Sergeant Mitaka,” Poe welcomed with a lilt of surprise, dropping his hand but not breaking eye contact. Ben watched as the Sergeant handed Poe a datapad. He accepted it, reading it carefully before looking up. Ben couldn’t see his face, Poe’s back to the mirror.

“So… It happened,” Poe stated, his voice weaker than before.

“I am afraid so… One of the towers were sabotaged. The water supply to the ysalamir facility closest to this location was poisoned, killing all the creatures before it could be stopped. With just one pocket of the planet open,  _ he _ was able to control those monitoring other facilities and kill the remaining ysalamir.” Poe’s shoulders fell, Ben’s heart pounding. “As of right now, all outside Force suppressing defences are down, along with the planet’s shields. We are scrambling to get them back online.”

“And we are sure the sabotage was from within? And it was the lake tower?” Poe asked, the sergeant nodding confirmation. Poe closed his eyes, head down a moment. “Where is my location?”

“The training camp in the northern mountain valley. You are to assist Captain Hux in training new recruits. Lieutenant Phasma will be there as well and you will be operating as the Captain's extensions.”

“Understood. I will be there by mid-morning tomorrow,” Poe responded, giving the sergeant one last salute before he closed the door. No sooner than it was closed did Poe drop the datapad onto the floor, rushing to the refresher and tugging Ben into a warm embrace. Ben gripped at Poe’s jacket, hands shaking. Poe shushed into his ear quietly, petting his hair softly.

Ben knew bits and pieces about the shields surrounding Nabo. There were typical defense shields, run by the trained specialists keeping them at max capacity. They were always a subject of debate in Nabooian politics; the shields were so strong to avoid any outside contact from any other planet. This included trade and galactic assistance. Naboo was solemn and sovereign.

Ben even knew a little about the ysalamir towers. The last import ever made on Naboo was a hoard of ysalamir, hundreds of them, spread across the planet in special facilities to handle and care for them. A new type of radar allowed the Force suppressing power of the ysalamir to be harnessed and spread over the planet, just like the shields that protected from outside warfare and communication. Now, Naboo was completely exposed, and whatever enemy that made the planet solitary was closing in. And Poe was going off to fight in an actual war.

Ben gripped his friend tighter, hiding his face in Poe’s neck. “This is so unfair.”

“I’ll be fine, Ben,” Poe stated, Ben not able to believe him.

“I just got you back,” Ben murmured, a tiny laugh chasing after his last word. Poe copied the laugh with his own, pulling away from the embrace. In a fluid motion, he took Ben’s hand and linked their pinkies, bringing it to eye level. Even with the sparkle of fear in his eyes, Poe was grinning wildly. His hand was shaking, Ben could feel it.  

“You aren’t going to get rid of me that easily.” Ben nodded, letting go of Poe’s finger. “C’mon, I’ll give you a change of clothes.”

Ben obeyed silently, following Poe to his bedroom and standing in the middle of the carpeted floor. A single bed was against the wall, another droid station next to that. There was a dresser with a pilot’s helmet and a mirror. Bottles of smelly oils sat in a clump, lingering a tone of oak and mint through the room. 

Ben walked over to Poe’s bed and sat down slowly, licking his lips slowly. “I don’t think I have pants that will go down to your ankle.” Poe stated from the closet.

“You did say I should wear this more often,” Ben commented, motioning to his still nude body. Poe just threw him an oversized pair of desert pants and a matching tank top. He dressed with a chuckle, Poe closing his closet and sitting next to Ben on the bed. Sure enough, despite leaving plenty of breathing room, the pants only reached Ben’s mid-calf, and the tank top was tight around his chest, but it was much better than the golden monstrosity he rode in wearing.

“Listen, Ben,” Poe started, laying back on the bed and spreading his arms out over it’s surface. “What is on that datapad… It is pretty serious.”

“Well, yes. Whoever took down our planet’s shields was intensely powerful, but I am sure the military will be fine-”

“That is just the thing, Ben, this guy is the reason the planet put up those shields in the first place.” Poe started. Ben’s eyes squinted, one eyebrow higher than the other.

“That seems like a long time for someone to hold a grudge, don’t you think? I mean, it has been almost ten years since Naboo became solitary.”

“Ten years is nothing to this guy. I wish I could tell you more, but it’s all top secret. What I can say is this guy has caused more than one planet to turn isolationist and each time he has taken it over. No one knows why he targets these planets because by the time they shut down, their fate is sealed.” Poe stopped, Ben not to sure how react to such information.

“What do you mean their fate is sealed?” Ben asked, his fingers playing with the end of the baggy shirt. 

Poe breathed out. “You know I can’t tell you, it’s a military secret-”

“Poe, please,” Ben begged, turning onto his side. “You’re going away, and I’m getting married off. We may never see each other again, and I want to know what you know.”

Poe closed his eyes and simmered, his breath leaving his nose while his hand came up and rubbed at his five o’clock shadow. Ben simply watched while he contemplated, reaching and placing the back of his hand on Poe’s chest to wake him from his mental buzzing. Poe opened his eyes again, coughing softly.

“This guy’s name has changed over and over, a different one for each planet. We- and I mean those of us in lower sections of the military- don’t know what name he used here, most likely to protect whoever he used to get in.”

“So he likes espionage?”

“No,” Poe started again. “Each time he got into a planet at first there was… A mass murder, sometimes upwards of fifty people. The news of it makes the government focus on it, try to calm the spirits of the people, and out of nowhere, while everyone is preoccupied, a full armada of starships attack and take the planet by storm, officially inducting the mass murderer into their ranks.”

“Like some sort of rite of passage…” Ben scoffed, stopping and quirking his eyebrows. “Wait… but there hasn’t been a single mass murder on Naboo, not even during the civil war, so why go into isolation with no reason?”

Poe chuckled. “Fortunately, Naboo has been the only exception. Whoever was working for him came forward with the plan. Before the starships could get here, Naboo was sheild protected and Force resistant to the teeth.”

“So the shields going down… This guy found a way in?” Poe nodded.

“And it took him ten years to do it. But instead of a mass murder of innocent people, it was innocent ysalamir. Although I am sure that will change soon.”

A gentle silence came over the two sharing the bed, the sound of light breathing like gentle waves pulling in and out less of a background tone and more a show of an absence of words. Ben removed his hand from where it rested on Poe’s chest, tucking it under his head and curing a little closer to his friend. Poe took Ben’s moving as an opportunity to snake his own arm under and around Ben’s waist, a passive movement that comforted them both.

Ben’s train of thought raced down a path of the future. He had been thinking so near-sightedly since a young age, dreading his twenty-first birthday with a passion, but he never took the time think about what would be occurring after.

After the wedding, after moving away from his parents, after starting to live with the Palpatines. His plans ended there; he just assumed he would be so suppressed, the world would stop there for him. But war lasts years, sometimes decades. There was a possibility that Poe would never come home at all, let alone at the end of this war. Ben could lose his only friend, along with the rest of Naboo, his home. The very prospect of that happening made Ben’s chest tighten. Ben stopped starting at the wall to look at Poe, whose eyes were closed again.

“...What are you thinking about?”

Poe turned onto his side to face Ben. “I want you to take care of BB-8 while I am gone.” 

“What?” Ben raised himself onto his elbows. “You are kidding, right? No way,” Ben stated in an absolute tone. “You and BB-8 are inseparable, I can’t take him from you.”

Poe opened his eyes, not focused on anything in particular. “You aren’t taking him, I’m leaving him in your care. At least, till this is over.”

“But he is your droid, you need him to pilot-”

“I am assigned to a training camp,” Poe explained. “I won’t be flying. At least, not till whatever battalion I will be helping is fully trained. The General’s son is will be in charge, more than likely I will be handling teaching piloting or short range blasting. I won’t see battle for a long time.”

“Then why not just have BB-8 with you when that happens?” Ben asked. “T-this is, I mean, it’s war! You need your best, Poe.”

“That is exactly it, Ben..” Poe sat up then, his voice tight and strained. He reached and wrapped his fingers around Ben’s wrist, his grip shaky. Ben didn’t bother pulling away. “Just do this for me. I don’t want to take BB-8 because this isn’t training then go home. It’s train then go to a battlefield. If I lose him… Shit, I don’t know if I could ever take a replacement. But with you, I know he will be okay.”

Ben diverted his eyes down to the carpet, a slide of orange and white peaking from the door frame. He caught it before it slid away, Ben smirking softly. “...Okay.”

A screech of excitement came from the doorway was BB-8 burst through, wheeling his way to Ben and bumping into his leg. Poe watched his two best friends share a laugh, leaning down to BB-8’s level. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll come back for you.”

* * *

 

Ben was dropped off at the front gates of his grand home, giving Poe one final hug goodbye before watching as he rode away in a cloud of dust, the moonlight giving the dirt a soft gray hue. BB-8 stayed beside him, his frame shaking at the sight of seeing his master leave him. Ben placed a hand on top of BB-8’s head, patting the cool metal. “He is coming back. He promised.”

A slow, low toned sound came from the droid, who turned and started rolling toward the front door of the house, his head down low. Ben gave one final wave to the leaving pillow of dust before following BB-8’s trail to the large steps, each elevation upward harder than the previous.

Inside those doors were his angry, potentially seething mother, and his submissive father. Even worse, Kan still inside since her speeder was still parked in the courtyard, leaving Ben to her mercy now that his only form of escape was gone yet again. He didn’t want to go inside and face whatever punishment awaited him. He was to mentally exhausted to argue it, the emotional baggage he was now lugging hurt more now that Poe was gone.

Ben pressed his ear to the heavy door, closing his eyes to focus more. Hearing nothing, he slowly slid the door open, peeking his head inside and scanning the front foyer. The decorations were still in place, creating erie shines on the old stone walls by the light of the moons, a light breeze lazily swaying the loose crystals. Seeing no one, Ben opened the door wider, BB-8 sliding inside quietly. Ben shuffled in the crack made, closing the large door slowly, trying not to make too much noise. The sound of the door latching closed made him jump, cursing the lack of proper airlock doors in the ancient house. Varykino was a gorgeous plot of land, but being built centuries before modern technologies was its one and only flaw.

“C’mon, BB-8,” Ben motioned toward the stairs, the droid beeping an affirmative, starting the slow process of clomping up the stairs. The bangs of metal to stone caused Ben to roll his eyes, bending over and grunting as he lifted the heap of metal into his arms.

Ben reached the top of the stairs with a huff, dropping BB-8, not caring if he made noise anymore. He laid back in the hallway, catching his breath as BB-8 let out a low siren-like laugh at his struggle. Ben opened his mouth to snap back at the droid but was stopped when one of the guest rooms opened.

“And please, ring for a servant if you need anything,” Leia stated, stepping out of the lit room. Ben grabbed BB-8, tugging him into the shadow of the staircase.

“You are a wonderful hostess,” Kan replied, sliding an arm down Leia’s in a soft gesture. Ben felt his lips curl into a scowl, but he choked back his voice.

“Thank you, Kan. Good night.”

The door closed, Ben deciding it was better to come out of hiding since it would be difficult to run down the stairs with BB-8. His mother gasped when she turned his way, a hand on her chest like she had seen a ghost. Before she could scold him, BB-8 poked out from behind Ben, beeping a sweet and soft hello.

“What is-”

“Poe was deployed. Naboo’s defenses are down. We are…” Ben’s fists clenched. “We are at war.”

Leia behaved as if she wasn’t shocked, collecting herself and clearing her throat. “I am well aware. I am a diplomat, I was aware the moment it occurred. Now, that aside-”

Ben scoffed is disgust. “So that’s it? You are  _ aware _ ?”

“What do you expect of me, Obi-Wan? This is a political matter, and it does not concern you.”

“You are joking- It does concern me! It concerns all of Naboo! We are being invaded as we speak, and as a citizen of Naboo, it concerns me!” Ben snapped, his voice rising in tension. His head felt tingly in rising fury, trying his best to contain himself, just as his Uncle trained him.

“You are not a citizen, you are royalty.” Leia’s shoulders squared up. “Speaking of which, Kan will be staying here. We have moved the wedding to happen in three days, after the public is told of this… dilemma. The two of you will go into protective custody after the wedding-”

“What?” Ben cries out, reaching out and gripping the handrail to balance himself, eyes wide in disbelief. Three days. What he thought he had a month to come up with a way to escape this trap, his freedom was being torn away in mere days. He barely had time to process it before Leia continued.

“I suggest you make your peace with it now, whining won’t change anything,” Leia calmly recited, as if from memory.

He let out a dark chuckle. “What, so instead of using it as a way to promote your sweet monarchy, I am to be your political stunt? I am distraction from what  _ actually _ matters and I am expected to just swallow it?"

Leia ignored the outburst, moving to walk past her angered son. “Kan has already agreed and is quite excited-”

"Kan is a two-faced, immature, lying, traditionalist,” Ben growled out, Leia stopping herself and looking at Ben with irises sharp and dangerous. Ben did not cower, his expression enflamed. “You claim this is ordeal for my safety- You are a Queen, the Head of Organa House, and you have nothing to show for it when it comes to the safety of your people.”

“Enough.” Leia ordered. Ben gripped the railing tighter.

“You speak of justice and truth but in reality, the only truth is while we live in wealth and luxury, they-” Ben pointed out the window, motioning to the rolling fields owned by farmers. “- barely make it through each day. I have seen it, Poe has lived it! They see something to hate in us, not some glorious jewel. You treat them like dirt, like they are worse than the dust under your specialty made heel!”

“Obi-Wan, stop it.”

“No, I will not!” Ben yelled, not noticing the door opening behind him just a crack. “The citizens of Naboo are going to lose sons, daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, I may lose my best friend, and all you say is you are  _ aware."  _ He spat out the last word like a toxin on his tongue, like it burned to speak. "I would question why it is that way, but I already know the answer!” The blood boiling under Ben’s skin l told him to stop, but he was too far, his head itching to scream more, a sense of relief coming with each word. “You are weak. You, the all-powerful Leia Organa, are weak, weaker than all of your constituents combined.”

“Cease at once!” Leia barked, Ben laughing hoarsely, his lips moving seemingly on their own.

“Do you know what the best part of it is? You are such a hypocrite, you think you can relate to those people, but you can’t! You never lost anything in your life! You will never have to lose anything to poverty, sickness, or god forbid, war!” Ben leaned in closer, his rage unparalleled to any of his previous outbursts. “I bet you are just marrying me off to get rid of me, got to save the precious prince or else he is going to run off and become cannon fodder for some no-faced enemy. You are so feeble and breakable, I might as well put a blaster right to my head, then you will truly know what it feels like to lose-”

The unyielding, sour snapping sound of skin to skin was deafening, speaking louder than Ben ever could. He had bitten his tongue, the stinging matching the one on his cheek. His eyes were wide in shock, staring at the ground for seconds. He had let go of the railing, troubled breathing coming from his mother.

Her hand was stinging as well, an identical imprint of it on her son’s cheek. Leia had never lifted a hand to her son, and knew she never would again. Leia swallowed harshly, lowering her shaking hand to her side to recollect herself. Ben had still not moved, his hair covering his face like a sheet, leaving him unreadable.

“To your quarters. Rethink your behavior. I am the Queen. You listen to me.” Leia commanded in a glassy, haunted tone. "By blessing of Emperor Tarkin, you are to be married by the close of this week to Kan Palpatine to ensure the royal lines, then placed in a secure facility to live through this invasion unharmed. Save the politics for when you are old enough to truly understand."

Leia dismissed herself, coasting down the staircase, but Ben still hadn’t moved. BB-8 bumped himself against his leg, trying to get him to move, but he remained. The rising and falling of his shoulders gave evidence of his breathing, shaky and uneven. The door opened wider, artificial orange light leaking to abstract the soft blue hue. Childlike footsteps came up behind Ben, BB-8 alerting at the presence.

"Obi-Wan," Kan murmured. Receiving no reply, she reached out, gently sliding her fingers against his wrist to make a home in his hand. Before she could get the chance, Ben turned on his heel, shoving his shoulder into hers, storming down the hall, BB-8 close behind, yelling curses in his rolling wake.

Ben jaw clenched tighter with every stomping step toward his bedchamber, feeling a tingle of pleasure in the anger despite the painful clenching in his chest. The door to him room was open for a few seconds to allow BB-8 entrance, but Ben slammed it shut, the boom echoing in the expansive house. Hearing he concerned beeps of worry coming from the droid. Ben took in a shaky breath, blinking back the wetness that had taken root in the corner of his eyes. He dropped to his knees, leaning his back against the door to try and collect himself. BB-8 came up on his left side, bumping him again. Ben let out a shaky chuckle.

"I-I'm sorry buddy," he whispered, raising his pinky as an apology. BB-8's torch snapped out of it's hatch, Ben wrapping the finger around it softly, the tiny flame casting their shadow on the door behind them.

A small string of mechanical sounds were Ben's only reply. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Leave kudos and comments, or contact me on Tumblr at ken-solo.tumblr.com.


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